Will to fly
by Nicegirl100
Summary: "Bagons really are something, aren't they? Their desire to fly is so strong, when they turn into Salamence, they grow wings." [GuzmaxOC].
1. Chapter 1 - THE JOHTO'S CHAMPION

**Summary:**

A long time ago, Hau'Oli City was plagued by a young trio of trainer's endeavors, dreaming of becoming the best Pokemon trainers of all Alola. Unfortunately, as they finally completed their first Trial, the trio turned into a duo as the third member's family decided to move away to another region. Ten years later, she receives a call from one of her former friends making an offering she can't refuse, setting her course back to Alola. [Guzma x Reader]

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hoo boy. Here goes, people. It's been ages since I last wrote anything so I'm a little rusty. Also, first time writting a story in english, so bear with me please!  
I tried to make it in the CharacterxReader format. This story will happen alongside the main arch of Sun&Moon.  
Well, hope you like it.

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1 - THE JOHTO'S CHAMPION**

 _Ladies and Gentlemen, we'll be arriving at Melemele Island shortly. Please, take your luggage to the main deck._

The voice of the captain echoed through the ship walls. You hastily jumped out of bed and got out of your compartment slamming your body onto the corridor's railing so hard you almost fell off the ship and into the ocean.

It was early noon; the sky was as clear as you remembered it to be around this time of the year. The ocean glistened such a strong blue color you almost couldn't make what was sky and what was water out at the horizon edge. Squinting your eyes, you searched for what had been your home a long time ago. As the ship got closer, the islands became clearer – The Alola Archipelago.

You sighed heavily as a sudden pang of nostalgia hit you full force. Even the wind messing your hair up was familiar – the smells of the alolan nature it brought with it was making your brain work full force, picking up memory after memory of the time you spent here. It was making you giddy with happiness. You were finally back.

* * *

You zoomed around the place after picking up your luggage, Melemele Ferry Terminal at Hau'Oli hadn't changed one bit – to the stone pavement to the vintage street lights.

A large crowd gathered around the disembark area – families waiting for relatives coming back from holidays, people waiting eagerly for their significant other, long distance friends finally meeting for the first time.

Your short height made moving around that much harder, not to mention trying to find someone in this large mass of people. Where was he? He said he'd meet you up here around the time you'd arrive.

"Hey, Mags!"

You turned your head to the right and there he was, waving at you in his calm manner, just like you remembered. You smiled, dropping your luggage on the floor carelessly and running towards him with open arms.

You lunged yourself at him and he picked you up, spinning your around.

"Kukui!" You barked happily "You're so damn tall what the heck!"

"Well, it's been ten years after all" He put you back on the ground as you regained balance "You, on the other hand, is as short as I remember!"

You playfully smacked him on the arm with false anger. He was different all right – he'd grown to a full 5'9, his shoulders had grown broad, his jaw nicely chiseled. He wore a goatee that fitted him pretty well. The only thing that kept the same was his darker skin tone. He was wearing an unbuttoned lab coat with nothing underneath it, some gray pirate capris and a white cap. You were amused how his style didn't change at all from since you two were kids – he only adds the lab coat, trying to make himself look more professional.

"So, where to?" You asked, eagerly wanting to step away from the crowd. Places packed with noisy people always made you feel disoriented.

"Follow me" He replied, picking one of your bags for you. You grabbed the other one and followed him, finally leaving the crowd behind.

You walked side by side with Kukui passing through Hau'Oli city. You noticed some buildings have vanished, others were renovated, others remained just as you remember.

"Oh, did you know in Johto they don't sell anything in the Pokemon Center, it's just a treatment unit! You have to go to a separate building to buy stuff." You pointed out as you passed the Hau'Oli Pokemon Center.

"Yeah I heard about it. It seems so unpractical for trainers though" He replied "I mean, whenever you made a stop at a city to recover and refill your inventory, you'd have to go to two different places instead of one… Think about all the time spent into doing that!"

You just nodded in reply. Trainers huh? You and Kukui began your trainers journey around the same time. You'd both hang out sometimes training your Pokémon to try and beat the Island Challenge. Unfortunately, you never could complete the it – your family moved to Johto as soon as you turned twelve, right around the time you had finally beaten Melemele's captain trial.

Kukui never got to beat the captain trial at the time. It's no wonder he gave up on being a Pokémon master and instead began researching Pokémon and their moves. He was always more curious about the way things worked rather than trying to train the strongest of Pokémon.

"How was the whole giving your title up thing back at Johto?" He asked as you passed Hau'Oli Mall.

"It was fine, really. The title went back to the old Champion." You replied "How's the preparations for the new League?"

"On their way. We're almost done!" Kukui replied grinning. Arranging the Elite Four was the hardest part, some Kahunas couldn't make it so we had to put Captains in their place… I was worried that maybe our E4 wouldn't be so challenging as the others… But then you agreed on it and now I dare say we might have the best E4 team yet!"

You giggled. You continued your journey as a Pokemon Trainer in Johto. You might have not completed the Island Challenge but you sure as heck beat every Gym Leader there was in that region. As your training progressed, you finally got to beat Johto's Elite Four alongside the Champion, becoming Johto's Champion yourself. Keeping the title was the most challenging task, but soon it became more of a dispute between you and the old Champion. You'd beat him, he'd train and become stronger and beat you, only for you to train, get stronger/change strategy and beat him again. It paid off well, but was kind of dull after a while.

When Kukui called, saying he was building a League in Alola, your old home, asking if you'd want to be part of the Elite Four, you decided to throw it all away and come back running.

If things didn't work, you could always go back to Johto and get your title back after all.

"Here we are!" He said, stopping at a wooden shack on the sand near the ocean. You could see some planks of mismatched colors covering up hole here and there – probably consequence of some experiment.

The interior was much more spacious than the outside promised it to be. There were no walls - to the left, alongside the front wall, there was a Living Room space with a large TV and a green sofa set. Alongside the left wall rested the kitchen, divided from the rest of the house by a counter. By the kitchen, you could see a ladder leading to a mezzanine, which underside function as what presumably was a storage room. To the right there were a staircase leading down and in front of it, a glass water tank that shone a dimmed bluish light on the area around it.

"Welcome to my Research Lab slash house!" He said, opening his free arm in a showing motion "Unfortunately you'll be staying downstairs for now. I've already made a reservation for you to stay on the Motel on Route 2, while the Elite Four Quarters isn't finished." He continued, as he headed to the stairs.

"Oh that's very nice of you, but I wouldn't mind staying here. Even if it's downstairs!" You said following him.

"Oh no, trust me… On hotter days, this place downstairs gets way too stuffed." He said arriving on the bottom floor.

As you made your way, the room downstairs slowly became more and more visible. In front of the staircase there was gym-like area, with weights on the floor and punching bag hanging from the ceiling in the corner. To the right, there was a green sofa leaning against the wall, under the stairs. Next to it, there was what appeared to be the same glass tank casting bluish light on the room. It seemed to go through both floors. To the far end, there were shelves with a lot of unorganized books, while ont he wall opposite to the stairs rested a long counter with Kukui's computer. Stacks of boxes were laying here and there all over the place.

Rockruff came running to our direction barking happily, glad that his owner arrived.

"I would let you stay on the mezzanine upstairs, and then you wouldn't have to move to the Motel, but it's being used." He said placing your luggage on the floor.

"Used? By whom? Burnett?" You asked also freeing yourself from your luggage.

"Nah. Burnett is in Ula'Ula. It's a girl named Lillie – long story short, Burnett asked me to let her stay here." He replied.

"Lillie? Someone's daughter?" You asked.

"Well no one that you know… She's got a beef with her mother and now she's hiding away with a…" He stopped, looking at you. You could see doubt crossing his eyes, probably judging if he should change subject. "Anyways, she's out there accompanying Hala's grandfather and another girl on their Island Challenge!"

"Little Hau is already doing his Island Challenge?!" You said in surprise "Oh My God! He was only a baby when I left!"

"Well, it's been ten years" He replied

"Yeah…"

Ten years. Little Hau is already a young man. Kahuna Hala probably has grown old with grayish hair by now. Kukui is all grown up and a Researcher Professor with his own lab! It's funny though that he didn't drop the habit of not wearing a shirt at any given time – he even left his lab coat opened so you could clearly see his naked torso.

"This couch here doubles as a bed! You can sleep here." He said sitting down on the green couch beneath the stairs "How's old Stonehead? You still got him?"

"Do I! He's still my best mate! Speaking of him…" You pulled one Great Ball from your backpack. It was a bit worn out from all those years you had it. There were badly drawn hearts all over its surface, obviously made with a black marker. You took a step back, throwing it on the ground. A Salamence emerged from it with a loud roar.

"Whoa! He's big!" Kukui exclaimed.

Upon seeing Kukui, Stonehead ran towards him, rubbing his head all over the man in an affectionate way, letting out a sound that looked like a Skitty's pur, only ten times louder.

"Hey big guy. I missed you too!" Kukui said petting the dragon's head "You were only a Bagon when I last saw you!"

"Well, it's been ten years!" You replied, a smirk on your face. Kukui let out a chuckle.

"Checkmate" He replied "I hardly ever see Bagons around these parts. You were really lucky to have found one"

I looked at him in false dismay.

"Lucky? I worked my ass off to get that guy! I spent two days waiting around on that only spot on Route 3, having spent three months' worth of my allowance in Great Balls to catch one of them!" I said crossing my arms. "I had a bet with…"

You stopped. A new pang of nostalgia hitting your hard. With all the chaos of moving back to Alola, you completely forgot about him. You, him and Kukui were a trio, working together every day to help each other achieve each other's goals. You were even known around Melemele for always been causing trouble trying to capture some rare or hard to catch Pokemon.

But you and he were a lot closer than you two were with Kukui. You kept competing over the stupidest things – who could eat more malassadas, who could hold their breath underwater the longest, who could stay bare feet the longest on the sand at early noon on a hot summer day before having to run to the water to cool off your feet. When you left, the void he left was one of the hardest things you had to cope with – not having someone to compete with, keeping you on your best shape always felt really lonely.

The thought of him always marching forward for the better was what motivated you to do the same. So, when you could meet again, you could still be on his level.

Over the last few weeks you run around trying to arrange everything for your departure from Johto, meeting him again completely slipped to the back of your mind. But now talking to Kukui, everything you had been holding back came rushing down and suddenly you felt bad he wasn't there to meet you on Melemele Ferry Terminal

"I had a bet with Guz to see who would capture a hard-to-find Pokemon first." You said sighing.

Kukui expression changed. He suddenly seemed very concerned. But he forced a smile.

"And who won?" He asked.

"It was the only competition we ever came to a draw!" You said "We both reached Hau'Oli beach at the same time holding our Pokeballs in the air. He had caught a Wimpod."

"He's always been quite the Bug Catcher, hasn't he…" Kukui said sighing.

"Oh yeah! He'd drag me along to Lush Jungle to help him capture Bug Pokemon all the time." You replied sitting down next to Kukui. "He knew I wasn't so keen on Bug Pokemon, that's why he made sure I'd tag along."

A moment of silence crept up between you and Kukui. The only sound you heard was Rockruff playing with Stonehead, the Salamence. Why was everything kind of awkward suddenly? Hasn't he and Guz been friends? Did something happen between them? On hindsight, it was very weird that Kukui hadn't mentioned Guzma at all. Weirder even that Guzma wasn't there right now to greet her. Something was definitely off. And you wanted to find out what.

"So… What happened to the guy anyway? He completed the Island Challenge?" You asked. Kukui kept quiet for a while, looking at Stonehead and Rockruff.

"Wasn't his dream to be a Captain? Did he manage that? He wanted that so badly… Well, me and him both actually. That's why we were competing… Since Melemele had only one Captain and all" You continued. Kukui chuckled.

"He's a captain all right… A Boss, to be precise."

You raised an eyebrow, looking at Kukui who didn't meet your gaze.

"I thought he'd be here today… You know, since we were all so close… Almost like our best friend at the time." You said.

"Your best friend. And well… It's complicated to contact him nowadays. He's… A busy man." Kukui replied. You wanted so hard to press on Kukui, but it was more than obvious that he wanted to drop the subject right away. You were on Alola now, you had your ways to find Guzma on your own later, so you didn't bother.

"Say, wanna go see Hala?" Kukui asked getting up. You forced a smile at him.

"Sure!"

* * *

Meeting Hala at Iki Town was a blast. The large old man was more than thrilled to see you again. You all sat at his living room listening to Hala telling you stories of when you were little.

"Remember that one time I caught you and Guzma trying to get a hold on your starter Pokemon at the age of 9, sneaking in my house?"

"Yeah, you scolded us so hard I feared you for months!" You replied laughing.

The day turned to night. Hala decided to call a feast in town in commemoration of your return to Alola. It was something simple, but very energetic. A long table was positioned right at the center of town where people sat and laughed under the night sky. A fire was lit near the table, casting an orange light all around.

Everyone in Iki Town had at least one memory of you, Guzma and Kukui causing some kind of trouble. The time when a storm hit you guys when you decided to go on a boat hunt for Water-type Pokemon and Hala had to gather some fishermen to rescue the three of you. Or the time you guys accidentally set a townsperson's house roof on fire when Stonehead learned ember.

The nostalgia trip was feeling amazing, the townspeople seemed like a family you had long forgotten you missed. But all those memories were making your curiosity on where Guzma was stronger and stronger. No one seemed to give you the slightest hint of where he was. Asking them right in front of Kukui also felt wrong, especially after he seemed so keen on not letting you know.

Finally, you succumbed.

"Thanks for everything, everyone. But the trip left me tired… I think I'll be off."

"I'll stay a little more, I need to discuss some things with Hala regarding the League." Kukui said "Everything's ready for you. If you need to shower, use the bathroom under the mezzanine, next to the storage!".

You nodded and made your way out of Iki Town. But of course, you weren't going home. You needed some time alone, to feel Melemele by yourself. You wandered around Hau'Oli now quiet under the moon light. All you could hear were the distant cries of Pokemon nearby. This was something you used to do back when you were a child, wandering around feeling the cold breeze coming from the ocean.

Sometimes Guzma would accompany you. You both would spent hours sitting on the sand dreaming of what the future could bring you two, of all the things you both could become. Maybe one day one of you would be Kahuna? Who knows?

You stopped on your tracks, realizing you were almost out of town. Route 2's entrance was just around the corner. You spotted the old street light right by Hau'Oli's entrance – the same one you'd used as meeting point countless times. You reached for it, feeling the coldness of the metal. Whenever you had to meet up with Guzma, you'd wait for him right beneath it, since you wouldn't dare knock on his door – you were scared of his father.

Realization suddenly hit you. Guzma's old house was on Route 2! Maybe you could start your quest to find him there? You didn't even know if his family still lived there, but it sure was worth a shot.

As you prepared yourself to head to Route 2, you heard it.

A cry pierced the night snapping you out of your memories. You looked around trying to locate where the cry was coming from. You heard it again – it was coming from Hau'Oli beach. Without a second thought, you bolted towards the sound. It seemed to be a girl's voice. As she cried again, you sprinted faster. As you reached the beach you looked around, a little girl was crying on the sand, covering her face. You ran up to her and very gently kneeled beside her.

"Hey… What's wrong?" You asked her in the softest voice you could muster.

She looked up, her eyes red and filled with tears. She was sobbing. As she looked at you, another wave of crying ensued. You tried calming her down, massaging her back and making soothing sounds. Finally, the sobbing dimmed and she finally spoke.

"They stole my Snubbull!" She said

"Stole?" You asked her "But who would do that?"

As far as you were concerned, Team Rocket had succumbed long ago. But maybe they had reformed? And they came to Alola now? You calmed your racing thoughts – there's no way Team Rocket would still be on the run, specially not so far away from Kanto or Johto.

"Team Skull!" She replied "They flew away on their Charizards afterwards!

"Team Skull?" Great. It was just what you needed, another criminal organization stealing people's Pokemons for their own amusement.

"You have any idea where are they headed?" You asked her, hoping for the best.

She shook her head negatively.

Of course, not. She was just a little girl after all. This whole ordeal must have been too much on her. You sighed, patting her on the back.

"Don't worry, big sister here will do something about it!" You said beaming. She looked at you with hopeful eyes.

"Really?"  
"Yes! Leave it to me!" You replied, trying to look confident. Of course, you had no idea what you could probably do, but you dealt with Team Rocket in the past, these guys couldn't be so much harder to deal it, could they? Besides, you didn't have the heart to leave the little girl completely hopeless. "I just need to find out where they took your Snubbull and…"

"Po Town, most probably." A familiar voice echoed behind you. You turned your head to see Kukui standing at the edge of the beach. "I knew you wouldn't go straight to the Lab, Mags…"

"Po Town? The one in Ula'Ula?" You asked him, ignoring his remark.

"Yeah. It's now overrun by Team Skull – all residents have long fled from there, there are only grunts." He replied, walking over you and the girl.

"They trashed a whole town?" You asked incredulously. It was the richest of cities in Alola, completely guarded by walls. You remember visiting it once or twice with your parents a long time ago.

You felt anger starting to build up in the pit of your stomach. A criminal organization that took a town over, making every resident abandon their homes and trashing the whole place up?

Sure, Team Rocket took over Celadon City once back in Kanto, but they never trashed it. Even if their intentions were bad, they treated the place with respect.

A city held more than just people's houses – it held their homes, their history. Destroying it was neglecting people's past and their fondest memories.

Maybe all the nostalgia you were feeling lately was making you more sensitive to this kind of stuff. Maybe, in the back of your head Kukui not wanting to tell you about Guzma's whereabouts threw you on edge even though you told yourself it was fine. Either way, you started to fume with rage.

You took Stonehead's Great Ball out of your backpack and threw it on the sand harder than you should've, letting the Salamence out.

"Stonehead, we're flying." You announced. Stonehead nodded and lowered himself so you could hop on.

"Wait!" Kukui exclaimed "You plan on taking on a whole gang by yourself? Are you crazy, Mags?"

I looked at him, brows frowned in a scowl.

"Why fucking not? I'm the damn Johto Champion." You barked, angrier than you should've in front of a child. "Take care of her, I'm bringing back her Snubbull. Stonehead, set off."

"But Mags…" Kukui's voice was muffled by the sound of Stonehead's wings flapping off the ground. He had to cover his face as sand flew everywhere. Stonehead picked up his pace and soon started flying up, towards the night sky.

"MAGNOLIA" He screamed. But you were already out of hearing reach.


	2. Chapter 2 - FRENEMIES

**Chapter 2 - FRENEMIES**

The wind was strong and cold, making your skin hurt a bit. For a second, you doubted your choice of coming completely ungeared for a flight, but your anger soon took over again.

Suddenly, you felt water starting to hit you. Rain came pouring down relentlessly, making your flight that little bit easier.

Yeah right.

"STONEHEAD, FLY LOWER. I THINK WE'RE CLOSE." You shouted near his ear. He lowered down, taking you closer to the ground. The rain made everything seem like a big blur of forms and lights. Suddenly, you could make out a giant white form in the distant – Po Town's walls.

"STONEHEAD, TAKE US INTO TOWN!"

The Salamence obeyed flying right over the concrete walls into the center of town, landing with a loud sound and a massive roar, making sure that no grunt was left sleeping. You had no time to be stealth, you just had to crush everything.

You looked around. Some grunts in black and white uniforms started gathering around, looking at you and Stonehead with pure shock. I guess no one would expect some crazy chick plummeting right down in their hive. A part of you knew this was crazy, being Johto Champion didn't mean you could take a whole gang by yourself. But the irrational angry part of you just kept fueling you up.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT SNUBBULL." You barked at them, looking from side to side still on Stonehead's back, who growled.

"Who the fuck are you?" One grunt asked.

"You dare come to Po Town and demand things from Team Skull?" Another barked.

"COME AT ME THEN. I WILL WHIPE THIS FLOOR WITH YOUR FACES." You shouted. "C'MON STONEHEAD, USE DRACO METEOR."

"HEY NOW." A voice behind you shouted. It was assertive and way stronger than the grunts. You and Stonehead turned around slowly, anger making your eyes wild.

A tall man walked towards you, the grunts made way for him to pass. He stopped twenty feet away from both of you, hands in his pockets. He was a rather large man, with broad shoulders and strong arms. He wore black and white, but his clothes were different from all the grunts – a short sleeve hooded black shirt, white tank top underneath it. His pants were black and baggy. He wore a yellow pair of glasses on his forehead, where a mess of white hair started. He looked at you with an almost maniacal superiority, amused by your display of suicidal courage.

"So you came to my realm alone searching for a single Snubbull?" He asked. His voice deep and scratchy.

"Your realm? So you're the leader of this dumpster?" You asked, looking straight into his hazel eyes. "I've dealt with smaller fry than you will ever be, you better get me that Snubull right now or I. Will. End. You."

He laughed.

"Aren't you a little too full of yourself, princess?" He asked smirking. "If you think you're that amazing, why don't you battle me. If you win, I'll let you have your Snubbull. How about it?"

All around the grunts started whispering.

"The Boss is gonna battle?!"

"We'll get to see the Boss in action?"

"BOSS, STRIKE HER DOWN!"

"SHOW HER WHAT TEAM SKULL IS CAPABLE OF."

You looked around a maniacal smile crippling up your face.

"How about I obliterate every single one of you instead, huh?" You asked angrily, looking around at the grunts. Stonehead roared in agreement. The grunts all took a step back in fear. You knew you probably couldn't take all of them at once – maybe half of them, but not all. Deep down you were aware this was all an act. But your anger was taking the best of you. You locked eyes with the Boss of Team Skull again trying to look threatening.

For a second, he seemed confused. But readily took his confident maniacal look back.

"You'll have to take me out first, princess." He replied. "C'mon, are you scared of big bad me?"

You spat on the ground.

"As if."

Jumping off of Stonehead you turned to the man, crossing your arms in front of you.

"Let's start this obliteration party with you then." You said.

"Got a sharp tongue there, eh, sweetheart?" He said taking out one poke ball. "Ready to choke on those words?"

"No need to. I'll let my Salamence do the talking." You said. Stonehead took his way to your front, facing the man head on, snarling.

"Very well, then I'll show you what real destruction looks like." He threw his poke ball, sending out a Golisopod.

The Golisopo came out screeching at Stonehead. They locked eyes as if trying to intimidate one another. The rain continued to come down in buckets.

"C'MON. USE DRACO METEOR!" You shouted. But Stonehead didn't move. Instead, he stopped growling. His body seemed to lose the tension as he lifted his head, looking at Golisopod in what seemed a… Curious manner?

"GOLISOPOD, NOW'S YOUR CHANCE. USE BLIZZARD ON THAT GIANT LIZARD!" The man shouted. But Golisopd also didn't move. His head twitched from side to side, as if it felt something wrong in Stonehead.

The two Pokémon started walking slowly towards each other in a careful but calm way. Your anger finally started giving away to fear. What the heck was Stonehead doing in a time like this? They were in enemy territory, surrounded by grunts, taking their Boss head on, it was no time to be disobedient.

You looked at the man who also seemed absolutely perplexed with his Galisopod's actions. His eyes moving around nervously, the grunts started whispering among themselves, confused. He tried regaining his composure.

"GOLISOPOD. BLAST THAT THING'S FACE WITH BLIZZARD, NOW!" He shouted again. This time Golisopod moved, dashing towards Stonehead. You felt a shiver run down your spine, if Stonehead took an ice blow head on in this weather, he'd surely get knocked out.

"C'MON, STONEHEAD, EVADE…!

But before you could finish your sentence, Golisopod and Stonehead were bumping their heads in what seemed… An affectional way?

"What the fuck…" You heard the man whisper to himself.

You couldn't blame him for swearing, you felt the same way.

You stormed over where the two Pokémon were, the fear getting stronger.

"What the hell are you doing, Stonehead!?" You asked Salamence. He turned your way in what seemed a smile, and gestured Golisopod with his head eagerly. You looked from Stonehead to the Golisopod in confusion. Golisopd screeched happily at you.

"Stonehead… Do you know this Golisopod?"

"Stonehead?" You looked behind the Golisopod, the man was walking towards you and the Pokemon. He seemed way taller up close, you had to lift your head to look at him. "Did you call this Salamence Stonehead?" He asked again. His face in pure shock.

"Yeah it's his name. Why…" Your eyes widened. You looked from the Golispod to the man back and forth multiple times. The pieces starting to fit in in together. Kukui's voice echoed in your head.

 _He's a captain all right… A Boss to be precise._

The words came out of your mouth faster than you could control them.

"Guz…"

His suspicions seemed to turn into reality as well.

"Mags…" He muttered.

For a second, the only sound that could be heard was the rain coming down strong as ever. You stood there with your mouth agape trying to process everything. On a closer look, his hair, his eyes, everything – you could almost see the twelve-year-old boy you left behind ten years ago. He analyzed you from head to toe, probably coming to the same conclusion as you.

He blinked, turning his shocked look into a stern one.

"BRING HER THE SNUBBULL." He shouted, looking at the grunts. Hastily, one male grunt made his way through the crowd, reaching you with a Poke ball in his hands. You took it almost instinctively, not looking away from Guzma.

He looked back at you.

"You're not to return here. Do you understand?" He said in a low, threatening voice.

"I… What?" You replied, snapping out of your stupor. He leaned closer to your face, your eyes a few inches away from each toher.

"Don't. Come. Back. Here." He said in between his teeth, turning his back at you afterwards.

"GRUNTS, BACK TO YOUR POSITIONS. THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE HERE." He shouted, making his way further away from you. Golisopod started following him, not before looking at both you and Stonehead, letting out a saddened low screech. In whispers, the grunts slowly began do disperse. Soon, you were left alone with Stonehead and the Snubbull Poke Ball.

Your resolve, your anger, your fear – everything came crushing down. So, this was what became of him in the end – a wretched Boss of a wretched criminal organization. This was what became of that young Bug Catcher boy who dreamed of becoming a Captain, training hard every day to reach his goals. This was your rival. This was the reason you kept marching forward for, and who you thought were doing the same with you in mind.

You don't know when it started since the rain kept coming down strongly but you were sure you were crying.

Stonehead nudged your arm with his head, snapping you out of your thoughts. You looked at him, he seemed sad and a bit concerned.

He lowered his body still looking at you. You forced a half smile and quietly hopped on his back. The flapping of his wings muffled by the sound of the storm.

And just liked that, you both flew out of Po Town.


	3. Chapter 3 - UNEXPECTED SOLUTION

**Chapter 3 - UNEXPECTED SOLUTION**

Stonehead landed on the sand, 10 feet away from Kukui's Research Lab. The wind dried out most of the water from the storm, but your clothes were still drenched. You sighed, slipping off Stonehead's back. You looked at the wooden shack and saw Kukui sitting on the doorstep, looking at you, the little girl was nowhere to be found.

"So, where you successful?"

You threw the Snubbull Poke Ball at him, he caught it with his right hand.

"Where's the girl?" You asked him, sending Stonehead back into his Poke Ball.

"I escorted her to her house. It was getting late." He replied. "I'll make sure to get her Snubbull back to her first thing tomorrow."

You sighed, finally looking Kukui in the eyes. The way he looked back at you told you he knew what was eating you. Of course he knew.

"Why didn't you tell me." You asked.

"Didn't want to be the bringer of bad news." He replied, looking at the ocean. "Besides, what good would telling you this even do?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have to find out this way." You replied, anger starting to plague your words. Kukui seemed a little taken aback.

"Hey, lower your weapons there, sister. I tried stopping you from going to Po Town, remember?" He answered. "But you ignored my low peasant words isn't it, Miss Johto Champion?"

You sighed, It wasn't Kukui's fault. You definitely knew it wasn't. You were just on edge, looking for a reason to get mad and blow off some steam. Lashing out at Kukui wasn't going to fix anything. It wasn't going to fix _him._

"I'm sorry it's just…" You started, looking at your hands. But Kukui interrupted you.

"Come here." He patted the wood next to him. You nodded, sitting down on the step right beside him.

"You saw him?" He asked.

"Yeah.." You answered bringing your knees to your chest and resting your head on your arms. "I didn't recognize him at first and I believe he didn't even."

"I guess he wasn't expecting you of all people to come back to Alola so soon." He said, leaning back on his arms. "You battled?"

"Yeah…"

"You beat him?"

"No… Stonehead and Golisopod were the ones who realized they knew each other." You answered. "It was what sparked my realization of who he was. He recognized me too after that, even said my name."

"And then what?" Kukui looked at you. "How did you retrieve the Snubbull?"

"He ordered I'd get the Snubbull returned." You answered. "After that he told me to leave and never come back."

Kukui let out a chuckle. You raised one eyebrow at him.

"That idiot, always running away from his problems…" He said. "What about you? You just left?"

You frowned. "I was too surprised. I didn't know what to do." You said, looking down. "I really… Just had too much going on in my head."

Kukui got up, resting his hands on his sides.

"Don't take his words too seriously." He said, not looking at you. "I'm pretty sure he just panicked as well. Gotta look tough at all times, y'know?"

You sighed looking down again. "How did that happen anyway?" You asked. "How did he turn out like that?"

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest…" He replied. "But things started going a bit downhill for him after you left."

"Downhill?" You looked at Kukui frowning in confusion.

"Right after you left, Hala decided to take us under his wing." He replied. "He insisted us on going to Trainer School, and so we did."

He paused for a minute, looking at the ocean as if lost in his memories, before continuing.

"Entering the academy was the best thing that happened to me. I took a liking to research and soon joined a Research Group there." He said. "But that meant I stopped caring altogether about battling and becoming a Captain…"

He turned his head to look at you.

"You see where I'm getting at?" He asked you.

You frowned. "I'm not sure if I follow…"

"Guz was alone." He said. "No one to keep him in track… He spiraled down hard."

He turned back to the ocean.

"Don't get me wrong, he tried his hardest at the Academy. He was always obsessively working harder and harder day after day, but without me or you to compete with, he slowly lost his bearing."

"What? Weren't there more people in class? Couldn't he just make friends with others?" You asked lifting one eyebrow at him.

"Guzma making new friends?" He asked, with a chuckle. "'sides, the whole ordeal with his dad was making the whole thing way harder for him. He did not have support."

"Ordeal with his dad?" You asked.

"Oh yeah, abusive fucker he was." Kukui explained. "Of course, we wouldn't understand it like that when we were kids… If I understood it at the time, maybe I wouldn't have focused so much on what I wanted and left him to his own devices."

Kukui was quiet for a moment. The soft sea breeze blowing your hair. You knew you didn't like his father from the way he'd seem so angry all the time with no good apparent reason. That's why you hardly ever visited Guzma at his house. That's why he insisted on staying as much time as possible away from home.

"He tried his hardest, but in his obsessions to try and be the best, he wouldn't think his strategies through… Which caused his dismay." Kukui said, scratching his chin. "It felt like he was trying to storm forward with his eyes closed, only to crash and burn in his way."

"Did he complete the Island Challenge?" You asked, even though you kinda knew the answer.

"He didn't… He couldn't beat Akala's Trials." Kukui answered. "But the trigger point was the Melemele Captain tryouts."

"So, he DID try to be a Captain." You said.

"Yeah… But he didn't even manage to be on the top 3." Kukui said. "He stopped going to Trainer's School after that. Three years later, he emerged as Team Skull Boss."

A new silence emerged from both of you.

"You didn't go after him?" You asked. "Didn't notice something was off?"

Kukui sighed.

"I did… But I was far too focused on the Research Group and actually starting my own Lab that Guzma's problems went straight to the back of my mind." He answered, a sad tone in his voice. "I wasn't the best of friends at the time… And I regret it."

You stared at your feet. You couldn't blame Kukui. This whole situation was way beyond anyone's control. But you couldn't help but wonder if things would have gone differently if you had stayed at Alola. If you would keep competing with each other to the point you were both Captain of even more… Or if he'd at least not become a gang leader.

"Say… It's late. Wanna call it a night?" Kukui asked, looking at you.

You nodded with a sigh. You got on your feet as he opened the door.

As you headed to the basement, Kukui's voice stopped you on your tracks.

"You had a crush on him, didn't you?"

"I… What?" The sudden change of subject took you by surprise.

"C'mon now, you can't hide it from me, it was really obvious." He answered with a smirk.

You felt blood rushing to your face.

"Tsc, it was a long time ago…" You answered shoving your hands inside your pockets and looking away. "We were children, it was more like a silly first love kind of thing."

He chuckled. "Always wondered why you'd prefer that scruffy kid's companionship over mine." He crossed his arms. "Don't let the whole Team Skull ordeal bring you down though… You know, because he was so special for you and all."

You rolled your eyes.

"Good night, Kukui." You said and headed straight down without taking another look at him. You heard him chuckle.

The basement was dark, except by the bluish light cast from the water tank. The sofa had already been arranged into a bed with covers and pillows neatly on top. Kukui was such a caring person sometimes…

You stripped down from your wet clothes and got straight into your pajamas. You laid down on the bed and instantly figured sleeping would be quite impossible. The room wasn't familiar, the bed wasn't familiar, the pillows weren't familiar... Plus, such a whole train of things happened today… You knew things would spin around inside your mind over and over, filling you with anxiety. You needed something familiar to hold on to.

You got up, searched your bag for Stonehead's Poke Ball and let the Salamence out.

"Hey buddy…" You said in a hushed tone. "Wanna sleep together like old times?"

Stonehead nodded and calmly laid down on the floor. You hopped on his back and laid down, feeling his smooth scales on your skin. During your quest to defeat all Gyms back in Johto, you and Stonehead sometimes had to sleep in caves or makeshift shelters – you'd always sleep on top of him. It felt safer.

Right now, it was calming you right down.

As his breathing moved you slowly up and down, you drift off to sleep.

* * *

"Hey, Mags."

You heard Kukui's voice as soon as you reached the last step on the staircase, still in your pajamas. Stonehead was already inside his Ball. You waved at him, sleep still on your eyes.

"G'morning, Kukui." You said yawning.

Kukui was already in his lab coat, cooking something on the stove. You could smell eggs and bacon in the air.

You sat on the stool by the kitchen counter as he turned around, two plates with bacon and eggs on his hand. He placed one in front of you.

"Hope you're good with a simple breakfast." He said, sitting down on a stool on the other side of the counter.

"Thanks, Kuks." You said, picking up a fork. Your head was still foggy from waking up. You took a bite and started munching. Kukui cleared his throat.

"You know, I have something for you…" He said. He placed a tablet-like object on the table and slid to you – it was a Pokedéx.

"Hey… Isn't that…"

"Yep. Your old Pokedéx!" He answered. "I figured that until the League is complete you might not have much to do here in Alola, so I thought… Why not pick up from where you had to stop your Island Challenge to go move to Johto and try to complete it now?"

You took the metallic object on your hands. This was so old it still had buttons instead of a touchscreen. You remember the day you got it, how excited you were to start completing it whole. How you and Guzma stormed out into the wild as soon as you both had your hands on it to see who could complete it first.

"I repaired the hardware a bit and updated the database." He said. "It should be as good as new, although I don't have an extra Rotom to attach it to your Pokedéx."

"You know what, it might be a good idea actually." You said, taking another bite of the eggs. Of course it was, it would take your mind off of things for a while, and getting to explore the rest of Alola on foot to see how things had changed would be good.

"By the way, you'll be moving to the Motel in Route 2 today. Don't worry about your luggage, I'll have a Machamp carry them there for you. Just pack up your stuff before you leave, okay?"

You nodded, gulping down the last of your bacon strip.

* * *

 _This is stupid._

This wasn't as much fun as you thought it would be. Most Pokémon in Melemele was very easy to catch, there wasn't any real challenge to it. The only real challenge was the random trainer that wanted to battle you, but even that wasn't that fulfilling – being the Johto Champion with a strong team made these battles more of a hindrance than anything else.

This whole ordeal wasn't helping to keep your worries about Guzma at bay either. If at least they came as solvable problems, maybe they wouldn't be that bad, but they kept on popping on your head as anxiety driven doubts. Was it you and Kukui's fault? Could have prevented it? How bad was his years growing up without support? Could you do something about it right now? Should you fly back to Po Town?

You took a deep breath to calm your raging mind. No, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't do anything about it. You can't go to Po Town after what happened yesterday. You don't know what you could even do at this point. You had to concentrate on the task ahead and get ready to soon be one of Alola's Elite Four member.

But what if you could do something? If only you had a chance to talk to him without him having to keep up the whole Team Skull Boss façade… But how would that even be possible? There's no way to contact him…

And even if you had that chance, what would you even say? Confront him on why he became the Boss of Team Skull? Apologize for leaving him alone, even though it wasn't your fault?

You sighed. The sun was starting to set over the horizon, maybe it was time for you to go back to Route 2 and call it a day. Maybe a good night of sleep on an actual bed and not a Salamence would help you set your mind straight and maybe you would come up with a solution?

* * *

You opened your eyes. The loud noise of something slamming shut with full force woke you right up. You could hear voices shouting right outside your door. It was still night – the moon casting its ghostly light on your bedroom through the window.

You got on your feet groggily rubbing your eyes, what could be happening this late? Who thought it was okay to be so noisy at night right next to a Motel?

You opened the door still in your pajamas, ready to give whoever was disturbing your sleep a piece of your mind, when you saw him.

Guzma stood in front of his old home shouting obscenities at it. The light on his house was on. It seemed like he was having an argument with someone.

"I AM GONNA MAKE SURE YOU…"

Upon noticing you, he stopped mid shout.

You both stared at each other in complete silence. He was completely alone, not a Grunt in sight. He wasn't wearing the hooded shirt, only the white tank top and the baggy pants.

You got nervous. There it was, your chance to talk to him alone. The chance you thought it was impossible to get. But what could you say? Everything seemed so wrong – scolding him or apologizing to him. You couldn't think of anything, your mind was a blank slate. But you couldn't let this chance scape. You just couldn't.

"First one to reach the Beachfront, wins!"

Your words left your mouth before you realized what you said. You sprinted past him, leaving your bedroom door open. For a second you doubted if he'd even follow you, but you soon heard heavy footsteps behind you coming closer. He was definitely trying to win.


	4. Chapter 4 - ESCORT MISSION

**Chaoter 4 - ESCORT MISSION**

You jumped right off the ledge towards the sand, the thrust you got from running throwing you 2 feet into the beach. You panted heavily, it had been a while since you last did some kind of cardio exercise, you were definitely out of shape. But somehow you'd won. You threw both of your fists into the air.

"TEN YEARS LATER, I'M STILL THE FUCKING BEST!" You shouted, falling in the sand on your back, still breathing heavily. You looked up at the ledge, Guzma was staring down at you also panting. He was frowning.

"Of-fucking-course you won, you took off before I had time to react. You had at least 10 feet of advantage on me." He said. He seemed annoyed – far too annoyed for what was supposed to be children's play.

The night was quiet. The only sound you could hear was the ocean waves and the cries of distant Pokemon. The soft breeze coming from the ocean was cooling off your body. Guzma took a deep breath and came down to the sand through the stone staircase, sitting right next to you on the sand.

None of you made a sound. Somehow this was oddly comforting, How many times did both of you stood side by side like that on that same spot? Countless nights spent just enjoying each other's company as the waves crashed in the sand and the breezes ruffled your hair. It felt as if nothing had changed - that nothing _had_ to change. Maybe if both of you stayed quiet the sands of time would stop moving and you'd both stay stranded in this quiet moment forever.

"Why are you here."

Guzma was the first one to break the spell.

You sighed, sitting up. The reality of the situation slowly creeping back into you.

"Kukui's been building a Pokémon League here in Alola." You answered not looking at him. "Invited me to be part of the Elite Four."

He chuckled – a malicious tone in his laugh.

"Of course he'd invite you." He said. "Summoning someone all the way from Johto to be part of the Elite Four instead of finding someone 'round here."

You raised an eyebrow at him, he was staring at the horizon. Was that an edge of disappointment?

"Well I'm from Alola." You said. "I was simply away from here, but I'm as alolan as you are."

"Oh come on." He barked right back at you. "You're a Champion. That's why he summoned you. Being from Alola was just a convenience."

You looked at him surprised. So he knew you were a Champion? Did he keep track of you? You shook your head – the media made such an uproar in Johto when you became Champion, some of it must have hit Alola for sure, especially because you were alolan.

"Y'know, maybe you could try to beat me in the Elite Four?" You said calmly. "Maybe even become Champion… You know, since you don't have to beat the Island Challenge to go to the League and…"

You stopped talking, realizing you said too much. Guzma was looking at you with a mixture of an angry and pained expression – he probably wasn't pleased to know that you knew he couldn't beat the Island Challenge.

"I don't need your fucking pity." He said angrily. He got up, turning his back at you. "That Champion bullshit really got to your head, huh?" He said. "Ya think anyone would be dying to bask under the light of your title, like you were some kind of fucking demigod."

You stared at his back with your mouth agape. This wasn't what you meant at all. Looking down on Guzma was definitely the last thing you wanted to do. This whole conversation was going down in shambles.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound condescending at all!" You tried to defend yourself.

"No?" He asked, turning his head to look at you. "How about trying to take Team Skull head on by yourself huh?"

"I…" You started.

 _Why fucking not? I'm the damn Johto Champion._

The exact words you said to Kukui to justify your actions back on the night you arrive at Alola echoed in your mind. Maybe he was right. Maybe deep down you let the whole being Champion thing get in over your head and you didn't really realize it. Maybe you were looking down on Guzma.

You looked at his back again. He was tall – taller even than Kukui. And he was strong – not gym-rat kind of strong; rather he was large, his body more rectangular than an inverted triangle. His neck was thick, and so was his well-shaped arms – his wrists were at least two sizes larger than yours and you were sure he could easily cover your entire face easily with those big hands. He definitely grew to be quite the man.

You blinked. What the heck were you thinking in such a crucial moment? You slapped yourself mentally as you cleared your throat.

"I'm sorry…" You muttered.

"Whatever, I don't give a shit." He answered. "I'm onto bigger things now."

You sighed, hugging your knees. This whole situation was really overwhelming. You ached for a past that obviously didn't exist anymore. Guzma was a gang leader, Kukui was a Professor with his own Research Lab and even yourself was not a mere trainer anymore, you were a Champion. So why did you feel like pressing on?

"I guess I wished things would be the same once I got back." You said. He turned to you, resentment in his eyes.

"They aren't." His answer feeling more like a threat. "You better get fucking used to it."

"If they aren't, what did you come home for?" You snapped right back at him. "You were obviously arguing with your folks when I saw you."

He seemed taken aback by your question for a moment, but he soon took his disdainful look back.

"I left something behind and needed it back, that's all." He replied. "You still love to meddle on other people's business huh?"

"And you're still as lovable as ever." You barked right back at him.

He chuckled, shoving his hand in his right pocket. He pulled out some rectangular device, taking a round object from inside of it. He lifted the round object into the air. Soon, a Charizard came flying down on your direction with a saddle on its back. The Charizard landed right in front of Guzma, lowering its body. Guzma turned at you.

"You better stay out of my way." He warned you. "Team Skull is planning big things with Aether Foundation… Unless you want some debris to hit that pretty face of yours, you better fucking mind your own business from now on, Champion."

He hopped on the Charizard and both promptly took off. You hastily got on your feet.

"Wait! GUZMA!" You called out, reaching for Stonehead's Ball, but it was nowhere to be found. You were still in only your pajamas and didn't bother to bring your backpack along – all your Pokemon were at the Motel room.

You looked at the Charizard as it disappeared. You sighed. So much for a happy reunion.

The next day Kukui knocked on your bedroom door before you were up, saying he was takin

* * *

g the day to check on the constructions works of the Pokémon League in Ula'Ula Island. He thought you might want to tag along, so he dropped by the Motel in Route 2 before taking the ferry to Ula'Ula. Despite already having your fair share of Ula'Ula, back when you went to Po Town, you decided to go. You wanted to share last night's events with Kukui anyway.

"The Elite Four Quarters are going to be amazing!" He was talking his heart out excited about how things were coming off. "You see, we're trying to keep it all thematic like the other Leagues, so we're trying to make each room with the Trainer's Team type as their theme!"

You nodded more than answered throughout your conversation – Kukui was far too excited about the Pokemon League to try and maintain a proper dialogue. But you didn't mind, it felt good to see him so happy about something.

As you reached the Pokemon League Summit, you both decided to enter the Pokemon Center. Kukui forgot to mention how cold it was going to be up there, so you needed to gear up before you got frost bite. Good thing the Center was already up and running.

As you left the Mart area in a nice and warm set of coat and jeans, you looked for Kukui. He was sitting at a table near the Café area, having himself a nice hot drink. As he saw you, he chuckled.

"You look like a marshmallow." He said, pointing the cup in his hand at you.

"Oh, shut up." You replied. "I can't understand how YOU aren't cold."

You sat down on the chair in front of him.

"Want some?" He offered.

"Nah, I'm good."

"They have Roserade Tea here." He said. "Didn't you use to love that stuff?"

"Roserade Tea…" Yes. You used to love Roserade Tea. Everytime you three stopped by a Pokemon Center, you made sure to get a cup of the drink before leaving. Kukui and Guzma used to tease you about it since, to their child minds, it was an 'old-people-drink'. Maybe a cup wouldn't be so bad… Specially because it was cold.

"Yes, yes I want some!" You answered. Kukui smiled, turning to the bartender at the Café.

"Could we have a Roserade Tea over here, please!' He said. The bartender smiled and nodded, getting right to work. Since the path to the Pokemon League was still blocked and only the people working on its construction could access that Pokémon Center, the place was practically empty. Empty enough for the bartender serve us at our table.

Kukui's excitement about the Pokémon League had almost calmed down. Almost, because you could see him checking all the stuff he needed to do on a tablet he brought along. Things were calm enough for you to speak up.

"What do you know about Aether Foundation?" You asked him.

He looked up from his tablet, a bit of shock on his face.

"Where did you hear about them?" He asked.

The bartender came, placing your steaming tea in front of you. You adjusted yourself on your chair and quietly thanked the man. Kukui kept staring at you. As soon as the man made his way back to the Café, you continued.

"I met Guz last night." You answered.

Kukui straightened his back on the chair, slowlt raising an eyebrow at you.

"You went to Po Town again...?"

"No no, listen." You replied. "He came to his old house in Route 2. We met by accident."

Kukui frowned.

"And…?"

"Well, we talked…" You didn't think you needed to go into your conversation with Guzma so much. You actually didn't want to. Somehow, that exchange felt really private, so you decided to cut it short to where it mattered. "And he mentioned Team Skull teaming up with that Aether Foundation. Something about big things about to happen… You know anything about this Aether Foundation?"

A shadow crossed Kukui's expression for a moment. He stared down at his tablet with a worried expression, as if trying to figure something out.

You took the Roeserade Tea in your hands, taking a sip. Your eyes aware of Kukui's every moment. It tasted just like you remembered, but you couldn't quite savor the taste – the tension brewing in the air wouldn't allow it.

Suddenly, Kukui started to hastily type on his tablet. He would scroll up and down, type something out, scratch his beard in what seemed confusion and start the cycle again. Annoyed, you cleared your throat.

"Kukui, answer my question. What is Aether Foundation?" You said.

As if noticing for the first time, Kukui looked at you with concern.

"Well… They are an organization whose goal is to shelter and take care of hurt Pokémon." He answered in a sigh. "Specially from threats like Team Skull."

"Wait…" You said. "So, they're like Team Skull's antagonist?"

"Yeah, sorta like that." Kukui replied.

"That doesn't make any sense!" You said, placing your cup back on the table.

"Yeah, but that isn't exactly why this might be bad…" He said, looking back at his tablet. He started typing again, you sighed.

"So what's the deal…?" You tried asking.

"You'll understand it later. Right now, I need you to do something for me." He said, not looking up from the screen. "I need you to find Hau and the others."

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why?"

Kukui turned his gaze to you again.

"I need you to keep them safe." He said. "Team Skull and Aether Foundation might mean they are in danger, specially Lilie."

He went back to his tablet.

"Here, there's their location right now." He said, pointing at his screen. "If Skull and Aether are really teaming up, the kids will be in danger."

You took the tablet from his hands, taking a look at the location. They were still in Ula'Ula, so it wasn't far from where you were.

"Please, Mags." Kukui pleaded. "You're a way stronger trainer than I am."

You gave him back the tablet, nodding.

"Of course I will, it's Hala's grandson after all."

You drank the last of your Roserade Tea before turning to the exit, reaching out for Stonehead's Ball. You really hoped you wouldn't have to defend kids from Guzma.


	5. Chapter 5 - LEAP OF FAITH

**Chapter 5 - LEAP OF FAITH**

"Over there!" You shouted, pointing down while holding onto Stonehead's neck. He nodded and begun his decent towards Malie City. You could see three kids and an older person standing by the docks at Malie City Ferry Terminal.

As Stonehead landed, you heard the children's shouts – a mixture of excitement and worry. As you hopped off Stonehead's back, you heard the older person's voice.

"So Kukui really did summon you to be part of the Elite Four, huh."

You turned around. An older man in a black military jacket and slippers was slouching, staring at me – a half smile on his lips. He felt oddly familiar…

"Wait… Mister Nanu?"

It was Nanu but… Way older than you remembered. The valleys of his aging face so deep you hardly recognized him. Then again, it has been ten years.

He chuckled.

"Time's been any less cruel to me."

He opened up his arms, inviting you to a hug. You ran straight towards him.

"Mister Nanu, you're so old!" You said, half buried in his arms.

"I know, kid…" He replied. "You don't have to rub it in."

You chuckled letting go. Whenever you, Guzma and Kukui visited Ula'Ula Island for your own endeavor, Nanu was assigned to keep a look out for the three of you as to not let you cause any trouble on the island. You were already pretty famous on Melemele - famous enough for people on Ula'Ula urge the Police to do something about you. Reluctantly, he accepted his mission. He ended up growing pretty fond of you three.

"What brings you here?" He asked.

"Oh, right." You said, momentarily forgetting why you came. Your turned to the trio of kids, they all seemed unharmed, safe and sound.

"I've never seen a Salamence before!" One of them said, getting closer to Stonehead. His skin was darker, much like Kukui's. His dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail, making his head look like a pineapple.

"You can come closer, he's friendly!" You said "Aren't you, Stonehead?"

Stonehead let out s friendly growl, lowering his head so the kid could pet him.

"Who are you?" The other boy asked. He was blond, his straight-cut bangs covering his right eye like a fan.

"I'm Magnolia." You said. "Kukui sent me to keep an eye on the three of you."

"Magnolia?" The first boy, exclaimed still petting Stonehead. "Like… THE Magnolia, Champion of Johto?"

"That's me." You answered. The second boy seemed a bit taken aback. "You're… Hau, right?"

"How did you know my name?" The boy petting Stonehead asked.

"I've known you since you were a baby!" You replied. "I left Alola right around the time you were one year old!"

"Oh my gosh!" He answered. "I've known a Champion and I didn't even know I knew?"

You chuckled. "You must be Moon." You said pointing at the only other girl on the Ferry Terminal. She smiled and nodded, not such a words person huh? "And you are…?" You asked, pointing at the second boy.

"We don't have time for this." The second boy replied. "We already wasted our time on this Kahuna fight nonsense, we have to hurry."

"Hurry? Why?" You asked. "Where are you going?"

"Our friend's been kidnapped." Hau retorted. "We need to save her."

"Where she's been taken to? Po Town?" You asked.

"Aether Paradise." The second boy answered.

Your eyes widened. Kukui was right about protecting this children after all – Aether Foundation wasn't joking around.

You retrieved Stonehad back to his ball.

"I'm going with you."

"We don't need you." The second boy snarled at you. You raised an eyebrow at him.

"You don't need a strong trainer to tag along on a crazy rescue mission?" You asked him. "Are any of you Champion of some region? No? Yeah, that's what I thought."

The boy seemed taken aback for a moment, but soon he sighed and turned to the ferry.

"Whatever. Just get in the boat."

Nanu chuckled.

"Kukui sent you to be a babysitter?" He asked you.

"Well, it's high time I assumed your position, eh?" You said right back at him. He chuckled again.

"Whatever." He answered, turning his back to leave. "Just try to not thrash the whole place up."

You nodded. You got on the ferry right after Moon and sat down in front of the three kids. As the boat started, you cleared your throat.

"So, any of you know anything about Aether Paradise?"

"We went there once." Hau answred. "But Gladion seem to know the place better than us."

The second boy, whose name you just learnt was Gladion, just snorted not looking at you. You rolled your eyes.

"What is your friends name?" You asked them.

"It's Lillie." Gladion answered, still not looking at you. "She's my sister."

Lillie? Wasn't she the one staying back at Kukui's place? This whole situation was starting to seem to be bigger than a simple kidnapping.

"What's the plan?" You asked Gladion. "We go in, get Lilie out and make a run for it?"

He finally looked at you.

"We have to make sure to get Cosmog back as well." He answered. "If we don't, this might mean the end of Alola… Or even the end of the world."

"Wow, chill out, kid." You answered. "What's Cosmog? A Pokémon?"

"A Pokémon that can be used to open wormholes to the Ultra Space." He answered. "Letting the Ultra Beast into this world."

Yeah, he made a strong point.

"Okay." You said. "We get in, we get Lillie and we make sure to get Cosmog."

In other words, there was no plan.

You sat back sighing. So this was the 'big thing' Guzma was talking about? He couldn't stop at trashing a town, he had to amp it up and trash the whole world, isn't it? Well… He always aimed at big things, so it wasn't all surprising.

Your heat ached again, you still longed for a time already gone – for a boy already gone. Your reunion with him didn't feel like closure. It just made you want to reach for him even more, despite the fact he straight up told you to stay out of his way. That might seem silly or even delusional but, somehow, you still felt like he didn't really mean that.

He ran after you, after all.

If he really didn't want to have anything to do with you – if you were really a turned page from his life's book… He wouldn't have tried to beat you on that silly race.

That's why you had to believe there was still something you might be able to do. You just had to not lose your faith.

* * *

Aether Paradise was an odd place It had a simplistic aesthetic to it – everything was white, it felt almost antiseptic. All this cleanliness really gave it an eerie atmosphere.

Invading the place wasn't as hard as you thought it would be. Despite having to battle the occasional employee, you four were making your way through the facility quite steadily. The children were surprisingly strong trainers, you didn't even have to intervene once. Things started to get darker as you encountered Branch Chiefe, Faba, and he let you four into a trap.

Because of him, you went down to the lowest floor, where you discovered they experimented with the very seams that kept your universe together.

"So you were right, huh, Gladion." You said, battling side by side with him as more employees tried to vanquish you. "They really are trying to wreck everything up, huh."

No matter where you went, you couldn't find a single sliver of Lillie or the Pokémon Cosmog. Gladion seemed to get tenser as you went deeper into the facility.

After retrieving some keys with Faba, you finally emerged to an outside area. At the far end, you could see a white mansion. But the mansions didn't faze you – what fazed you was all the Team Skull Grunts scattered around the place. So they really were together, Team Skull and Aether Foundation… Guzma wasn't lying after all.

Speaking of the devil…

Gladion tried rushing towards the mansion, but you pulled his arm and stopped him in his tracks. He started complaining, but the stern look on your face made his voice die out.

"Let me at him." You whispered, grabbing Stonehead's Ball and letting him out. He roared, startling the Grunts nearby.

You hopped on top of Stonehead.

"Let's go get Guzma." You whispered in one of his ears. He roared in agreement, and took off. You flew over all the Grunts, landing right in front of Guzma. He seemed pissed.

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of my way?" He said between his teeth. His body was tense. You hopped off Stonehead's back.

"I'm here for Cosmog and the girl." You retorted right back at him. "Hand them over and we'll be on our way."

The sounds of battle behind you told you Moon, Hau and Gladion were taking care of the Grunts. You had the upper hand.

You took three other Poke Balls from your backpack, staring Guzma in the eyes.

"Don't make me battle you, Guzma." You threatene, holding the Poke Balls out for him to see. "I WILL strike you down."

He slouched over, hands in his pockets. You could see how mad he was by the way his eyes were trying to pierce you right up. But you could also feel something else – he felt… nervous? Or even… afraid?

"Get out of here." He said under his breath. "It's gonna get dangerous."

Gladion, Moon and Hau soon arrived. They didn't bother stopping and ran straight to the mansion. Guzma turned to the kids and for a second his actions made him look like he wanted to stop them, but you decided he wouldn't.

"GO GET HIM, SHARKFACE."

You threw a Poke Ball, letting out a Garchomp, who roared threateningly at Guzma. Guzma's attention snapped right back to you. He leaped back, reaching for his own Poké Ball and throwing it at the ground in Sharkface's direction.

Maybe you couldn't stop him from his evil deeds. Maybe you couldn't fix the boy you helped break. Maybe you couldn't mend whatever relationship you two had when you were kids. But you could at least hold back the monster you helped creating, if that meant buying time to save someone else.

* * *

Guzma punched the ground feverously, shouting insults at himself as you withdrew your Pokémon. The battle was far from a challenge for you – you didn't even had to use all of your Pokemon. He wasn't even near your level anymore.

"Don't feel so bad about this loss." You muttered, shoving your hands inside your pockets.

"SHUT UP." He shouted at you, still on the ground. "I fucking HATE that full of yourself attitude of yours. You can't fucking tell me how I'm supposed to feel."

You glared at him. This again – this whole accusing you of being conceited because of your title again. This time around you weren't – you really weren't. You were being realistic, trying to be the bigger person since he couldn't lose without throwing a damn tantrum over it. You started to feel rage swelling up inside you.

"Do you know how much did I work to become the Champion?" You barked at him. "Do you have any idea how many days and nights I spent in the wild, training, strategizing, battling and losing in order to get where I got?"

You started walking towards him, clenching your fists.

"You really think it was a fucking walk in the park? I lost to countless trainers. Had to go back to the previous Town I was in loads of times in order to heal my team. I had to fight Goldenrod's Gym Leader FIVE TIMES before I got to beat her."

You squatted over next to him, so your eyes were on his level.

"Every time I failed I thought about you. Every time I had to think things through again I was sure you were doing your best and I needed to do it too so that I would still be on your level. You were always on my mind."

You glared at him, your face a few inches from his. He was completely speechless. Everything was silent for a moment – none of you daring to do a single movement.

Your rage slowly started to subdue, and the weight of your words finally started sinking slowly in. You promptly got up and, without looking back at Guzma still on the ground, made your way to the mansion. What the fuck was wrong with you, admitting to his face he was the reason you became Champion? You felt your face start to warm up – surely you were blushing. You walked faster, not wanting to let him see your face.

As you entered the Mansion, going straight to the mains bedroom, your worries started to fade.

A wormhole was opened in the middle of the room, it's force shaking the whole place up. The air around it felt heavier making it hard to breath. You looked for Hau, Moon and Gladion and was glad when you spotted them - they were unharmed.

The blond woman, right under the Ultra Wormhole though didn't seem so fine. As she spotted you, she scoffed.

"Another rancid being to try and ruin my beautiful plan?" She asked. "I have no time for that. Guzma. With me!"

You turned to your right and there he was. The roaring of the wormhole was so loud you didn't even notice him approaching you. He nodded at the woman, ignoring you completely.

She turned around and soon disappeared into the wormhole. Guzma ran straight towards it disappearing right after her. You didn't think twice before following right after him.

Suddenly everything went black – you entered the Ultra Wormhole before it disappeared.


	6. Chapter 6 - CLOSURE

**Chapter 6 - CLOSURE**

You heard sounds. At first, they were low and indistinguishable, almost like there was cotton inside your ears. Gradually, they started to become clearer. It was a voice – a male voice.

You slowly opened your eyes, your vision still very blurry. You blinked one, two, three times until you could focus again, but it didn't do much – the place was so dimly lit, you couldn't quite grasp the whole place in one go.

You realized you were laying face down on a rocky ground. You slowly pushed yourself up with both hands to a sitting position – you felt tired, like your body had been ran over by something massive. You looked around, what was this place? It felt like a cave – the lateral walls filled with irregular forms that varied from spiky to well rounded, some even looked like trees. Everything above you was so dark, you couldn't tell where the ceiling ended.

Confusion hit you, what is this place? How did you end up in here?

Something caught your attention – a mess of white hair lunging itself forward.

It was Guzma.

You got right back at your feet, everything coming back to you like lighting striking down. You followed Guzma and Lusamine into the Wormhole in a purely impulsive act. You were in the Ultra Beasts realm – the Ultra Space.

You looked again and realized Guzma wasn't lunging himself for nothings – he was trying to catch something. Something white, like an oversized squid-like wig – its tentacles moving in an eerie way. But it seemed elusive, like smoke – every time he tried to grab it, it would vanish into thin air only to reappear right behind him. Was it an Ultra Beast?

It seemed to be… Making fun of Guzma?

Suddenly, the creature reappeared behind Guzma, floating high so he couldn't reach it. Its tentacles trembled as it let out a cry that felt more like a screech – the sound so piercing you covered your ears.

A shiver ran down your spine. You turned around instinctively. Dozens other creatures floated around you, getting near you and Guzma.

Adrenaline kicked in. You quickly reached for your backpack and threw three Poke Balls into the ground. Stonehead, Sharkface and a Flygon came roaring out of their Balls.

"Stonehead, Sharkface, Goggle-Eyes, keep them at bay!" You shouted. The three dragon Pokemon circled around you, roaring, growling and even attacking the beasts. When you finally felt your Pokemon could hold back the creatures, you looked at Guzma.

The presence of other creatures didn't seem to faze him. He continued his quest to capture one of them with his bare hands, trying the same tactic over and over again – lunging himself at them with full force, only to the creature disappear on him.

You remembered Kukui mentioning Guzma's demise rested on his almost obsessive and completely narrow minded determination. Seeing it with your own eyes felt differently though, you felt like you wanted to smack him so he could snap out of it and try something else.

But right now it wasn't the time to help him build healthier mind frameworks. He was trying to capture a creature he knew nothing about with his own hands – he was putting himself in so much danger you wondered if Lusamine promised him she'd make him Kahuna. You needed to put some sense into him, or at least protect him from those creatures before something bad happened.

And as if the creatures read your mind, something bad happened.

Guzma lunged himself at a creature again, missing it as it vanished and reappeared behind him. But this time, the creature lunged itself at Guzma before he could react. Its amorphous body swallowing him whole. Guzma tried freeing himself from the creature's grasp, but he could only take one of his hands out – the creature was far too strong.

"GUZMA!" You shouted desperately.

As if only noticing your presence at that moment, he looked at you in surprise. His eyes, normally so confident and full of himself were now fully opened. They looked wild, feral even – like the eyes of a cornered beast. They were pleading.

Your heart sank. Impulsively, you bolted from the safety circle your Pokémon were providing straight to Guzma. Upon noticing it, Stonehead roared to the other two Pokemon and, together, they started trying to keep the beasts out of your way.

Guzma kept struggling to free himself, without success. His right hand was the only thing out of the creature. You locked on that.

When you were close enough to the creature, you jumped up, grabbing Guzma's right hand in the process. You thought your weight would be enough to pull him out, but the creature's grasp on him was tight. You held onto him with both of your hands, your feet dangling three foot in the air.

The creature screeched again and you fought the urge to cover your ears. Guzma's hand began to slowly go back inside the creature – it was trying to swallow you both. Panic began to invade you, in hindsight you should have let your Pokemon deal with this instead of you. But now was no time to regret bad decisions.

"GUYS, HELP!" You shouted, tightening your grasp on Guzma's hand. You looked at him, panic in his eyes. He seemed to try to force his hand out as strong as he could, but the creature was stronger than both of you.

Suddenly, you felt your waist being pulled. You looked behind you – Sharkface was trying to pull you and Guzma out. Stonehead and Goggle-Eyes kept the other creatures away alone.

Sharkface tightened his grip around your waist – his strong legs firmly on the ground. He pulled you down with such force you had problems breathing, but you held on; your will to take Guzma out of that creature kept you completely focused on the task.

At first, the only think Sharkface was able to do was stopping the creature from swallowing both of you. For a while, nothing happened – Guzma didn't move. You wandered if it was better to let more of your Pokemon out to help.

But with a last strong pull, Sharkface was able to free Guzma out of the creature.

You three fell onto the ground. Sharkface quickly got up, positioning himself between you and the creature. Stonehead and Google-Eyes took they position behind you and soon you were again in their protective circle.

The creatures started encircling you from all sides – they outnumbered your Pokémon five to one. There was no way out of this without a fight – you needed the rest of your team for this.

But as you reached your backpack for you other Poke Ball, the creatures all stopped on their tracks. Somewhere, one of them let out a sharp screech and, as if they worked as a hivemind, they all floated away, towards the end of the cave.

You let out a long and deep sigh.

"What the fuck is wrong with you."

Guzma's voice was low and weak – he was still laying down from the fall. You looked down and realized you were still holding his hand. You quickly let go, cursing the rush of blood reaching your cheeks.

He slowly sat up. Surprisingly, the creature didn't leave any kind of substance on his skin. But he still looked pretty beat up, a little drowsy even, as if he's been drugged.

You frowned at him.

"What is wrong with YOU." You retorted. "Trying to catch one of these unknown Ultra Beats of whatever with your BARE HANDS? No fucking wonder you it almost killed you. You should be grateful I was here to save your sorry ass."

"Why the fuck did you follow me when I fucking told you it was going to be dangerous." He replied. "When I specifically told you to get out of my way."

"Gee, I don't know… Maybe because I care about you?" You replied. Your response felt way more important than it should've, so you decided to change subject. "Why would even want to catch one of these beasts? Are they strong Pokemon or something?"

"I promised I'd catch one for…" Guzma's eyes widened. He tried getting up, but his body was still too weak – he fell over on the process.

"Woah, easy there…" You said, getting on your feet. "What's the rush?"

"Lusamine. She came here with us." Guzma answered, looking around the cave. "Where is she?"

You frowned. No wonder the Ultra Beasts all disappeared.

"She must be at the end of the cave…" You muttered.

Upon hearing your words, Guzma hastily tried getting up again. This time he managed to get on his feet, but he seemed to have some difficult breathing. He tried walking but soon fell on his knees again.

"C'mon Guz, let me check on her." You said sighing. "You should stay here with Stonehead and rest up."

"No. I need to save her." Guzma replied. The insistence on his voice sent a jolt of something into your system – could this be jealousy…?

You shrugged off whatever it was.

"Whatever rows your boat, dude. Just let me help you."

You reached out your hand for him. He looked up at you, as if studying all the possible outcomes of taking your offer. With a final sigh, he took it. You helped him on his feet, leading one of his arms around your shoulder and holding his torso with your arms so you could support some of his weight. You both started walking towards the end of the cave – you trying your hardest to sync your steps with his as to better hold him up.

This proximity surprised you – he was way taller than you, your head barely reaching his chest. His torso was thick – your fingertips was the only part of your hands touching on the other side of it. His smell was strong, but not bad… It was earthy, it reminded you of pine forests and oak trees.

Kukui was right, you had a crush on him when you were kids. But at that time, you didn't think too much about it – you knew you liked being near him, they he laughed, the way his eyes sparkled whenever he accomplished something… But romance was never really something you thought of. You were twelve, for fuck's sake.

But right now, being so close to what became of him – a tall man with such a broad figure… And those same eyes. It kinda made your heart race.

And right now, you felt a strong desire to throw him away from you because you hated that him, of all people, made your heart act that way.

You had your fair share of relationships, of course. Johto wasn't only about beating Gyms. You had a fling with a guy you met on your journeys and even dated another for some time. But unfortunately, it didn't last much.

But you guess being so close to somebody you used to have a crush on but never really got a closure out of it really add this much thrill to the whole situation – Specially when he had grown to be so attractive to you. You wondered if these were your feelings coming back or the start of something entirely new – You bet on the last one.

As you approached the end of the cave, the Ultra Beasts became clearer. They were all floating around, circling a blond woman – Lusamine. Despite being surrounded by unknown powerful creatures, she seemed content, comfortably sitting on a rock, looking around as if amazed.

"Lusamine!" Guzma called out.

The woman looked at us, her expression changing into something like disgust.

"Where is it?" She asked drily.

"I… What?" He retorted.

"Where's my Ultra Beast?" She answered. "You said you'd bring one to me."

Guzma seemed taken aback for a moment. The he proceeded.

"These creatures are dangerous!" He said. "They attacked me. I almost got killed! Come, let's get out of here!"

But Lusamine didn't move. In fact, he scoffed at Guzma, looking down on both of you.

"Pathetic…" She said. "You had one simple task, Guzma… And you couldn't even complete that."

You looked at her, shockingly. What the heck was wrong with this woman? And more importantly, what the fuck was going on with the Ultra Beasts? Why wasn't them attacking Lusamine the same way they were attacking you? Why were they drawn to her?

Guzma bit his lips.

"I'm sorry, I tried hard but…"

"Quiet!" Lusamine cut Guzma short. "You will disturb my beautiful paradise with that tainted voice of yours."

She opened her arms, in a showing motion.

* * *

"Look all around you." She said, a maniacal expression on her face. "This… This if the paradise I dreamed of. I don't need you catching a Ultra Beast for me… They've chose me." She looked directly as Guzma again. "And I don't need you anymore."

Anger quickly washed you all over. Instinctively, you tried pushing Guzma away from you so you could rush to Lusamine and let your fists teach her a lesson or two, but you felt Guzma's arm tighten over you, holding you back.

You looked at him. He was looking directly at Lusamine.

"Fine." He said. "Do whatever suit you."

Even with his weak body, Guzma turned you and him both around. You understood he wished to leave that place and, honestly, so did you. Those Ultra Beats eerily floating around an absolute mad woman sure felt like a bad omen.

"Yeah, no sign of the Ultra Wormhole." You said, touching the walls of the cavern near where you woke up.

You sat Guzma next to Stonehead, leaning his back on the Salamence. You decided to keep all three Pokemon around in case the Ultra Beats got tired of Lusamine and came back to strike you down. Since you two left Lusamine's 'chamber', Guzma had been awfully quiet.

"Don't worry though, I'm sure help is on the way." You said, resting your hands on your sides. "Kukui's gotta have a plan."

You looked at him. He quietly kept staring at nothing.

You sighed, kneeling in front of him.

"How are you feeling?" You asked him, looking at his face. He didn't respond.

You sat down, crossing your legs and taking your backpack off.

"Here, I have some water." You said, shuffling through your bag and finally handing him a bottle of water. "Drink it up. It will make you feel better."

He finally looked back at you.

"What are you doing?" He said in his raspy low voice.

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Water is good!" You said shaking the water bottle. "It balances your system, it renews your blood, it takes all the impurities away…"

"No, not this." He retorted. "Why are you being good to me?"

"Well, you're not well. That Ultra Beast screwed you right up." You said, uncapping the water bottle. "I don't have the heart to leave you unattained. Here, drink." You handed him the opened water bottle.

He looked at it and, with a sigh, took it from your hands a drank from it.

"I'm sorry…" You muttered.

This time, he raised his eyebrow at you.

"What for?"

"For getting in your way. Meddling with your stuff…" You retorted. "Even though you told me not to. I just felt like… I had to."

"Whatever. Look where it got you." He answered, handling your bottle back to you. "You're stuck in another dimension with me, a crazy-ass bitch and creatures just waiting to swallow us up. I'd say you already got what you asked for."

You sighed looking down. He was right.

"But still… If you hadn't done it, I'd be a goner." He completed. "So, thanks, I guess…"

You looked up at him again.

"Why did you follow through that woman's plan?" You asked him. "Team Skull already had Po Town. You were big enough to handle anything, so why teaming up with Aether Foundation anyway?"

He looked at you in what seemed an annoyed matter. But soon sighed, dropping whatever fight he might had left in his body.

"We might as well die here, so whatever…" He said before looking at you. "She made me feel good."

"Oh… So you loved her?" You said. A pang of disappointment hitting your heart.

"No… Not really… "He said. "She was more like… I'm not sure… She made me feel like I mattered."

You hugged your backpack.

"Like… A mother?" You asked him.

"Maybe… I'm not sure." He said. "The only thing I knew is that I felt invincible at her side. Whatever task she threw at me felt like a challenge and, whenever I succeeded, she made me feel the best mother fucker in the world."

He dropped his gaze to the ground.

"It was… Nortalgic." He muttered.

"Nostalgic?" You asked him.

He sighed. For a while, none of you made a sound. The only thing you could hear was the screeches of the Ultra Beasts far in the other side of the cavern. Suddenly, he faced you again.

"It felt like us again." He said. "I used to believe I was the fucking best. But then you left and, I realized, it was because of you."

Your cheeks started to burn. You sure as heck was blushing. Thank god this cavern was so badly lit.

"I tried my best to reproduce whatever we had so I could feel awesome again." He said. "I tried challenging myself, tried beating everyone… But it just wasn't the same."

"Guz…" You said, resting your right hand on his. "I'm sorry…"

He scoffed.

"Like that was your fucking fault." He retorted looking away, freeing himself from your touch. "You had to leave. You couldn't stay alone in Alola as a 12-year-old."

Another silence. You decided to take a sip of the remaining water in the bottle.

"I was so conflicted when I saw you in Po Town, you know…" He broke the silence again. "I was so fucking happy but I was also so god damn embarrassed…"

"Embarrassed by what?" You asked. He glared at you.

"Of what I fucking became!" He said in an almost shout. "We started the same. But you became a fucking Champion, and what the fuck did I do with my life? Became the leader of a criminal organization because I couldn't face the fact I wasn't as good as I once thought I was."

"Oh, shut the fuck up." You barked at him. "You're a leader. Think I could become what you became? You and Team Skull trashed and took over Po Town! Your Grunts all look up to you!"

He looked at you in a surprised manner.

"Besides, even though she was despicable, your loyalty rested where your heart was." You continued. "You were so loyal to Lusamine you literally jumped into the unknow for her. Tell again how that's not awesome!"

He blinked twice and started to laugh. You were taken aback from this weird turn of events.

As he calmed down, he sighed.

"This is what I'm talking about." He said. "You can always see the best part even in a gigantic fuck-up. That attitude of yours would put me on top of the world and I didn't even notice it was because of you back then."

You threw yourself at him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"You are not a fuck-up!" You said, holding him tightly. "Shit happened. Things turned out the way they did but that's only situational! You are amazing, Guz…"

For a moment, he didn't move. You thought maybe doing this was far too much – you simply assumed he'd be okay with a hug. As you were about to let go of him, you felt his strong arms wrapping around your frame.

"You fucking idiot." He muttered. "Please don't leave me again…"

You smiled.

"I'm not going anywhere anymore." You said. "This is it. This is our new start. Let's walk together again…"

He pulled away so he could look at you. Gently taking your face with his hands, he placed a single kiss on your forehead before pulling you close to him again.

"Thanks…" He muttered.

You both stayed that way until a bright light illuminated the cavern.


	7. Chapter 7 - BOLD WORDS

**Chapter 7 - BOLD WORDS**

Maybe Guzma really did expect you both to die in that cavern, because as soon as he realized Moon and Lillie appeared to save you both and Lusamine, he quickly let go of you. Even after the girls beat Lusamine and got you all out of the Ultra Space, Guzma became very silent and kept his distance from you at all times.

It was like whatever bounding you did back in the cave was just some weird dream you had.

It was only when you all parted ways that you decided to make a move.

"Don't disappear on me."

He stopped in his tracks, his back turned to you.

"Right back at you." He muttered, without looking at you.

He resumed his way, taking the Charizard-Calling device he used back in that day you both met by accident at Melemele out of his pocket. You wondered if this was some sort of standard way of navigating through the four islands, but you didn't give it much thought.

Soon, his Charizard arrived. You watched as he hopped on the Pokémon and flew off into the clouds above. There was this tiny part of you that wondered if you should really have let him go like that, and not followed him right away, but you shrug it off – Things were fine. You talked it out. He wouldn't pretend you both were strangers to each other again, would he?

You took Stonehead out and were soon into the air, straight to Kukui's Lab. You figured he must be worried about you and the kids, you had to fill him up on what happened.

As Stonhead landed, you saw him sitting on his doorstep, the same way he was when you came back from Po Town. This time though, he looked relieved.

You told him everything that happened since you met the kids and Nanu at Ula'Ula. Of course, he wasn't super keen on knowing you jumped right after Guzma into the Ultra Space.

"Why do you have to be such an impetuous idiot…" He said with a sigh.

You told him in detail about the Ultra Beasts. About the way they acted and how they attacked both you and Guzma, but seemed to keep their distance from Lusamine. You decided to leave out the whole bounding moment you had with the Team Skull Boss, it felt awfully personal, and you were sure you wouldn't hear the end of it if Kukui knew about it.

As you described them, Kukui got his tablet out and began taking some notes – he seemed incredibly interested by the unknown creatures. When he was satisfied with all the information, he shut his tablet off and looked at you.

"So, are you ready to move out again?"

"Huh?" You managed to reply.

"Elite Four Quarters are done!" He said. "The rest of the team should be moving up there tomorrow. And we'll start receiving challengers on the following day, most probably."

That's right, the Elite Four shenanigans! You were so absorbed in the Guzma problems that you completely forgot why you came to Alola in the first place. Suddenly, you didn't feel super ready to be part of the Elite Four and being challenged by a whole lot of aspiring Champions. Everything that happened shook you off so badly, you didn't feel like you had the guts to play the part you were supposed to.

But you had to and you know you had to. You just had to make mental preparations that night in order to be ready – you knew you could do it. You just needed to cast Guzma aside for a while, and concentrated on being who you became – The Johto Champion who transformed into Alola's Elite Four.

You smiled at Kukui.

"I was born ready." You replied. Kukui beamed at you.

"Awesome! I'll pick you up tomorrow morning and help you move." He said. "Get some rest today, will ya? The day's been one heck of a ride."

* * *

Of course, as soon as you laid your head on the pillow it was very clear 'getting some rest' was going to be impossible.

You sighed, getting up. There was no point trying to sleep, you knew yourself well enough to know that you'd spend at least a couple hours rolling around in bed, wondering about the whole Elite Four stuff. It didn't make any sense for you to be that much concerned about it – you knew it didn't. You were a Champion, and had been defending your title for quite some time. So why becoming Elite Four – less of what a Champion was -, was bugging you so much?

Maybe it was precisely because you were about to perform a role less important than a Champion – if you screw that up, what a laughing stock you'd become. You had to at least be the best of the Elite Four, becoming the ultimate wall between the challengers and the podium.

Or maybe it was because you'd be taking part in your birthplace's League. Maybe you wanted to make the Alola's Elite Four the best E4 in the whole world. Maybe you needed to prove that, despite leaving for so long, you were still on Alola's level.

Deep inside you knew it was all of it. And there was no pointing in dwelling in worry and self-doubt when somewhere inside of you, you knew you couldn't possibly fuck this up.

You changed into regular clothing, took your backpack and left your room. The fresh ocean breeze seemed to blow all your concerns away. Going for a midnight walk seemed to be the best option in the moment.

Once again, Hau'Oli night proved to be silent. The sound of the rustling of leaves and the cry of distant Pokemon was everything you could hear. Although being a big city, Hau'Oli was far from being a chaotic metropolis that never slept much like Goldenrod City was.

You walked over the Beachfront, taking slow steps into the sand. It was a night like that, all those years ago, that you had to tell Guzma you were moving away. You were worried sick about all the possible outcomes of what this new path in your life was going to bring you that you couldn't sleep. And you did the same thing you were doing today – decided to take a stroll into the city to calm your raging thoughts.

On that night, you met Guzma on the Beachfront by surprise. He'd be sitting on the sand looking out into the horizon. You approached him.

 _"_ _Hey." You said, snapping him out of his thoughts. He seemed startled, but upon realizing who it was, turned back to the ocean without a word._

 _You approached him, sitting by his side on the sand. He was stroking Wimpod's back on his lap – the Pokemon seemed to be asleep._

 _"_ _I have to tell you something." You said. He scoffed._

 _"_ _I've already heard from Hala." He said, not looking at you. "Took you long enough to come say it in my face."_

 _The aggression in his tone took you by surprise. You looked down at your fidgeting hands. It had been a week since your parent's decision, but you didn't want to tell any of your friends about it. Somehow, it felt like if you didn't put it into words, it wouldn't come true. But as the date of departure drew nearer, you knew there was no point in trying to hide it anymore._

 _You just didn't expect Guzma to know before you had the guts to tell him._

 _"_ _I'm sorry…" You muttered still looking at your hands. "I don't want to go… It's my parents. Dad got a promotion and we're all moving to Johto. I tried everything, I asked them if they couldn't let me stay with Hala but they didn't want to burden him since Hau was just born and all…"_

 _Guzma didn't answer. Instead, you both stood side by side in complete silence. You held your knees tightly against your chest. Guzma was the last person you wanted to get mad at you in such a crucial time in your life._

 _Suddenly, he spoke up._

 _"_ _Let's run away." He said, finally looking at you. "You and me. Let's build a raft and sail off away from here. We can manage to live if we stick together."_

 _You looked at him in disbelief. He always was a pro at bad ideas, but this one was surely taking the prize._

 _"_ _Are you out of your mind?" You retorted. "This is crazy. We won't make it. We can't escape that easily!"_

 _He frowned at you._

 _"_ _Of course we can!" He barked back at you. "We're the strongest trainers in this pile of rocks that we call an island. If there's someone who could make this work, it's fucking us!"_

 _"_ _No, Guz." You cut him off, looking away. "I'm not gonna do it. I don't want to go to Johto, I really don't. But I'm not gonna go into this suicidal trip with you just because of it."_

 _He snorted. You know he knew deep down that this was a desperate act. But even though you were desperate – very desperate -, you still knew you had to be the lucid one. Because Guzma definitely wasn't going to be._

 _You sighed. Wimpod was readjusting himself on Guzma's lap – the conversation must have woken him up._

 _You looked at Guzma again, his face contorted into a scowl. He was clearly mad. You sighed._

 _"_ _Look, Guz. I'll go. I don't want to, but I'll go. But we will meet again." You said. "You hear me? I'll make sure we'll meet again someday."_

 _He didn't answer. Instead, he withdrew Wimpod back into his Ball and got up._

 _"_ _Whatever." He said and, without looking back, he stormed away from you. Clearly shaken that his last resort didn't come to fruition. That was the last time you ever saw him – the next day you departed from Alola._

You snapped back into reality as you heard something moving on the sand. You looked at the far end of the beach and there he was, sitting on the sand with Golisopod by his side. Once again, he was only wearing his white tank top and baggy pants. Even his golden chain and sunglasses were gone.

You approached him.

"Hey."

Your voice took him by surprise. But this time, upon seeing you, he didn't act defensively.

"Hey." He answered.

You sat by his side. Golisopod was happily munching PokeBeans directly from Guzma's hand.

"What would an Elite Four member such as yourself be doing wandering around this late?" He asked you mockingly. You snorted.

"What would a gang leader be doing by himself alone in plain sight?" You retorted right back at him. "Y'know… From the way you walked off back then, I was wondering if I had to go to Po Town to drag you out of your lair."

This time, he snorted.

"You wouldn't find me there." He said. You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why not?"

"It's over." He answered. "I disbanded Team Skull, sent all Grunts home. I'm just a regular dude, now."

You looked at him surprised.

"That's actually so cool." You answered. "What are you planning on doing from now on?"

"I have no fucking idea." He answered looking away into the ocean. Golisopod finished his beans and curled into a ball in the sand, ready to take a nap.

"Well… I'll see how things work in the Elite Four tomorrow." You said. "Depending on the schedule, we can use the spare time to try and complete our old Poke Déxes! Or maybe, we could start a training routine? Getting stronger together like old times! Or maybe…"

"How about no?" He cut you right off. You looked at him puzzled.

"What?"

"Are you braindead, Mags?" He barked at you. "Do you know who I am?"

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're my friend Guzma."

He rolled his eyes.

"No. I'm the fucking ex-boss of Team Skull." He answered. "I'm the number one public enemy in all of Alola. There isn't a single soul around here who doesn't hate my goddamn guts. Do ya really think I could just get away with trying to be a goodie-two-shoes now?"

"I don't think I follow…"

"It doesn't matter what I do, I will always be the hated boss." He answered. "And following an Elite Four around would only cause me to be a laughing stock, a fucking lapdog. I don't want to be fucking pitied on… Again."

You frowned at him.

"That's why you started treating me like a nobody back in that cave when people showed up?" You inquired him. He didn't respond, which only added to your suspicion. This was definitely the case, he was embarrassed of being seen with you. "Guzma, that's fucking stupid. You can't let other's views on you dictate who you are and…"

"Don't act like you fucking understand." He cut you off again. "You're a Champion. An Elite Four. You can't understand how this fucking feels."

"Well, and why don't you explain it to me, you dipshit." You barked right back at him. "I'm a Champion. An Elite Four. I should have enough brainpower to understand what a peasant such as yourself if going through."

"Oh, shut the fuck up…"

"No, you shut the fuck up!" You said, elevating the tone of your voice. "Do you even listen to yourself when you speak? That's not you. That's only the self-pitting version of you taking control over you and blabbering bullshit. You never gave a damn about what others thought of you! Heck… WE never gave a damn about what other thought of us! We made a fucking mess out of Alola when we were young and couldn't give two shits about what other people said. We owned this place!"

He didn't answer. You sighed again, trying to calm yourself down.

"Guz, I think it's worth it to give it a shot, y'know." You said in a calmer tone. "You deserve at least that. We are not Elite Four and ex-Team Skull Boss. We are Guz and Mags, the wretched duo that goes about on our own rules. This is not about me and you anymore, it's about us. We are a team, aren't we?"

Silence again. Despite all the noise, Golisopod was fast asleep.

"What are you doing here anyway." You asked.

He sighed.

"I thought about paying you a visit." He answered looking away. "Couldn't bring myself to knock on your door though."

You chuckled.

"You know, I may be fearsome, but I don't bite." You said.

"You do. You bit me once." He answered.

"No I didn't." You retorted back at him.

"Yeah, you did." He said. "That one time we went to Lush Jungle, remember? I had your teeth imprinted in my forearm for three days!"

"Oh! But you fucking threw a Spinarak at me!" You said. "You knew I didn't like Bug Pokemon, but you went ahead and threw it at me anyways, I was only trying to defend myself!"

"Are you sure you're not a Sharpedo in disguise?" He said mockingly. "Boy, that hurt so much!"

You threw sand at him. He chuckled, defending himself with his arms. You kept throwing sand at him laughing until he lunged himself at you, pinning both of your arms into the sand.

"C'mon now, stop it!" He said in a playful tone. You laughed.

"I'm not a Sharpedo, I'm a Gibble!" You said, imitating a roar in between words. "Raaaaaawr."

He laughed. And for a moment, you stared into each other eyes. He was so close, you could feel his breath on your face. His smell was also penetrating every inch of your soul. Boy, he was handsome… His jawline so perfectly draw and those hazel eyes, now so calm…

You felt blood rushing straight into your cheeks. You were definitely too big for these play-fights. _He_ was definitely too big for these play-fights as well.

"I don't know what you do, but just like that you made me so fucking calm." He whispered. "You make me feel good…"

You smiled at him.

"You make me feel good too…" You answered.

"Hey…" He said. "You mind if I…?"

"Kiss me? Of course not… But you know what would be even better?"

"What would?" He asked.

"Sex." You replied with a big grim. "Right here on the sand, what do you say?"

He looked at you, taken aback for a moment. His cheeks obviously acquiring a reddish tone. But he soon smirked.

"That's the Mags I know…" He answered, closing the gap between you and him.


End file.
